The One Scheduling Tip To Keep In Mind For Friendsgiving

Apart from your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, you may be one of the many Americans planning to also celebrate the fairly new Friendsgiving tradition which, according to Axios, has gained significant traction in the U.S. over the last decade. According to a survey conducted by OnePoll and Sabra last year, a survey of 2,000 young Americans revealed that 68% preferred to celebrate Friendsgiving over the standard November holiday, via SWNS Digital.

While sociologist and professor Amy Adamczyk divulged to CNN her theory surrounding the birth of Friendsgiving and its intrinsic link to the Great Recession in 2007, Merriam-Webster claims the tradition didn't fall under national recognition until 2011 when Baileys Irish Cream used the word in a seasonal advertisement. From then on, the term was noted significantly on the internet and even used in popular television shows.

Before you decide to throw a great Friendsgiving dinner, you'll want to ensure all your closest friends can attend the blessed event. After all, according to Statista, 53.4 million Americans traveled around the Thanksgiving holiday in 2021. Since Friendsgiving has become an additional celebration in the month of November when is the standard time to celebrate the occasion?

Bustle claims the busiest time for a Friendsgiving celebration tends to be between November 21-26, yet those dates fall extremely close to the actual Thanksgiving holiday, so how do you decide when to throw this intimate seasonal party? The foundation of a great Friendsgiving celebration rests on flexibility and advanced planning. 

According to Food Network, scheduling your Friendsgiving earlier in the month assures a higher number of attendees, and also gives you ample room to try some unique dishes before the main event on November 24. Conversely, if you find yourself with extra leftovers and a free weekend after the last Thursday of the month, you can repurpose those highly regarded dishes into the world's best Thanksgiving leftover recipes. Truthfully though, the purpose of Friendsgiving is to come together with your highest-regarded comrades and have a relaxed meal where being together is the central focus. Roshawna Myers told The Atlantic she travels four hours from Virginia to Washington D.C. to make her annual Friendsgiving since the event signifies the one time a year all of her friends plan ahead and make adjustments to see one another.

Working with your friends' schedule in advance is key to having a fantastic Friendsgiving, but that's not the only reason people celebrate this annual pals-only get-together.

Keeping scheduling tips in mind is important when planning an annual get-together that involves arduous meal planning and space accommodations, but Friendsgiving is a time to break away from the generalized stress Thanksgiving can often bring. According to a 2018 survey conducted by CivicScience, 71% of nearly 7,000 adults feel some kind of stress relating to the traditional November holiday with potential familial disagreements and food preparation ranking highest in anxiety induction.

Among the many ways that Friendsgiving is better than Thanksgiving, you actually get to choose your company and relax when hosting or planning to attend an event with your closest friends. Friendsgiving is also typically served as a potluck-style meal where guests bring a dish or two to share, and turkey doesn't always have to serve as the main centerpiece of the meal, per The Pioneer Woman.

In fact, according to Daily Capital, with rising prices continuing to dominate food costs across America, only 24% of Americans plan on celebrating Friendsgiving by eating turkey, and instead, 33% are opting for pizza. The New York Times claims that advice around the friend-centric holiday is helpful, but when it comes to preparing food for close friends, anything goes. While advanced planning and potluck organization assures a solid Friendsgiving, simply finding the best time to get together with your closest friends is all that matters.